Clerics and leaders who instigate Muslims to ‘defend the honor of the Prophet (saw)’ by attacking people who have nothing to do with insulting his honor, actually disrespect the memory of our Prophet (saw).

Yes, the movie was disgusting, but I’m sure the happiest person today is the person who made it, because his goal of smearing the Muslims has succeeded.

I condemn it because the religion of Islam doesn’t allow such an action. Common sense and a call to revise sensibilities clearly have failed with such people. So we have to focus on the only thing that might speak out to them: their religion. These militiamen have not just insulted themselves, but they’ve insulted their Prophet, the same Prophet who stated authentically and unequivocally, “Whoever kills a person who is granted protection by the Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise even though its fragrance can be smelt from a distance of forty years of travelling.” (Source)

Imam Omar Sulaiman:

We are a people who hold all of the Prophets (peace be upon them) in the highest regard and it hurts us when their names are tarnished.

But we are also a people that believe that the greatest way of honoring the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa salam) is by following his example.

We cannot tolerate mercilessness in the name of the one sent as a mercy to all worlds. (Source)

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani:

Don’t defend the Messenger of Mercy and Beauty through #harshness and #ugliness. #Islam #Libya (source)

Shaykh Walead Mosaad:

Muslims in Egypt and Libya are mobilizing to condemn some obscure two bit “film” that was obviously made to provoke us, which it has succeeded in doing with an American consular officer killed in Libya and an Egyptian mob scaling the walls of the US embassy in Cairo yesterday. Unfortunately, we have become slaves to our passions and vices under the guise of religion, and we remain devoid of reason, mercy, knowledge, and wisdom. May Allah guide us all. (Source)

Dr. Aref Ali Nayed (Former Ambassador of Libya to the UAE, Member of the League of Libyan Ulema):

This is to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the late Ambassador Christopher Stevens and his fallen colleagues, and to the American people and government. I had the honor of personally knowing Ambassador Stevens, and witnessed, firsthand, in Benghazi and later in Tripoli, the care and hard work that he devoted to fulfilling his duties towards his country and towards Libya and the Libyan people. He was a man of dedication and honor, and I am shocked and deeply anguished for the loss of a dear friend and supporter of the Libyan people’s struggle against tyranny. Tyranny and darkness may wear a thousand guises, including pseudo-religiosity, but must never deceive us. Islam is a religion of peace and understanding, and Islam’s Prophet (peace be upon him) is the Prophet of Compassion. It is outrageous and totally unacceptable for criminals to kill and destroy in the name of defending Islam and its Prophet (peace be upon him). The criminals who committed this cowardly act must be rigorously pursued and rapidly brought to justice. May this tragic loss make us even more dedicated and determined to building our respective countries, based on the values of dialogue, understanding, and peace. (Source)

Imam Mohamed Hag Magid (ISNA):

“The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) unequivocally condemns the killing of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, and his staff, and condemns the attack on the US Embassy in Cairo. Reports indicate that those who killed them did so as a reaction to a video depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a profane manner. Although we believe that this video is hateful and bigoted, this could never be an excuse to commit any acts of violence whatsoever. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is loved and respected by hundreds of millions of people across the world, and no one can take this from our hearts. No one should fall into the trap of those who wish to incite anger. The Prophet (peace be upon him) should be our example in everything we do, and even though he was attacked and insulted many times throughout his life, he always reacted with compassion and forgiveness, never with revenge or violence.” (Source)

Shaykh AbdulRahman Chao:

No crime justifies another. The bombing of the American consulate in Libya was a barbaric crime. The perpetrators think they are defending the Prophet (pbuh) and Islam. No, they are in fact causing problems for the Muslims. Worse, as America moves its warships and drones in position to target the killers, no doubt innocent by standers will be killed; their blood is on the hands of the same immature fools. And no, if you think that this post means that I am putting more importance on this than the Syrians or the Muslims in Burma, kindly put your nonsense away and Unlike my page. Save your emotional baggage. Right now, we deal with this and we must condemn each thing at its time. (Source)

The most ridiculous thing about these protests is that they are rooted more in emotions than in clear proofs from the Quran and the Sunnah. In the Seerah, an incident clearly speaks in favor of not using violence against those who slander and speak ill of Muhammad (pbuh). Long before his acceptance of Islam, Suhail bin Amr, an extremely talented and eloquent poet used to slander and verbally assault Muhammad (pbuh) with lines of poetry and prose. In the Battle of Badr, Suhail bin Amr was captured by the Muslims. Recalling his insults, Umar bin Khattab consulted the Prophet (pbuh) saying, “Allow me to pull out his front teeth so that he will never say anything against you after this day.” With full equanimity and mercy, Muhammad (pbuh) replied, “I will not make an example of anyone; even as a Prophet, Allah [might] make an example of me [in the same way].”(Source)

Rough translation: “We can’t say all Christians are responsible for this film because then we are doing what the producer did by grouping all the Muslims together.”

We condemn the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi.
The responsibility of this heinous crime squarely falls on both the perpetrators and those who inflame the emotions of a people [to react] whilst they go through the labour pains of transitioining to a new and lasting positive change [in their country]. (Source)

In response to the voilence erupted in Libya and Egypt and to the disorderly protest of the people there in the name of defending the honor of the Prophet s.a.a.w:

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
“And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, “Indeed, I am of the Muslims.”

“That you [people] may believe in Allah and His Messenger and honor him and respect the Prophet and exalt Allah morning and afternoon.” al-Fath 48:9

It’s an honor to defend the honor of the Prophet, but it’s equally disgraceful to defame his honor in the name of defending his honor(Source)

Imam Suhaib Webb:

Normative books on Islamic law detail that representatives of foreign governments and their property should be treated with the highest respect. Instead of saying, “Why does Islam encourage this,” reality would dictate, “Why are some Muslims so ignorant of their own faith and ethics?”(Source)

Nouman Ali Khan:

The film is offensive because it misrepresents Islam. Senseless violence and murder is offensive for the same reason. (Source)

We shouldn’t be mad at haters. We should feel sorry for them. They can’t harm us. They can’t harm Allah’s deen. Just themselves. (Source)

Our messengers (S.A.W. ) honor came from the sky. No one on earth can take it away. (Source)

Tarek El-Messidi (Not a scholar but a student of knowledge and founder of Celebrate Mercy):

CelebrateMercy Founder Tarek El-Messidi stated, “When lies are spread about our Prophet, we simply respond with the truth. And the most effective response is to embody his merciful character on a daily basis. Violence and vandalism carried out in his name are more offensive than the content of any film. The Quran tells us that the Prophet is praised by God and His Angels; even a million films cannot threaten his status as the Best of all Creation nor his love in our hearts.” (Source)

“I condemn the extreme Jews that supposedly financed the video insulting the Prophet Muhammad, the extreme Christians who produced, propagated, and supported it, and the extreme Muslims who assumed that all 300 million Americans were responsible for it. I also condemn the mainstream media for their poor contextualization and analysis of the event.” – Shaykh Mustafa Umar

The people of Syria have been severely oppressed by their government. They have been deprived of the most basic human rights and civil liberties. They have been massacred. Their children have been massacred. Their homes have been destroyed. And with all of this oppression and injustice all over the world, some people become outraged and kill others over a film? this is destroying the reputation of the prophet and the reputation of the whole religion There is absolutely no justification for this type of behavior. Not only are those responsible committing an injustice against the United States, but they are committing an injustice against their own countrymen who have been working to build a better future for their nation.” Imam Atef Mahgoub ICP

ibnpercy, Imam Atef Mahgoub is a young Imam at the islamic center of Pittsburgh and we are blessed to have this beautiful brother and great sheikh here is his blog’s address http://imamatef.blogspot.com/

The most ridiculous thing about these protests is that they are rooted more in emotions than in clear proofs from the Quran and the Sunnah. In the Seerah, an incident clearly speaks in favor of not using violence against those who slander and speak ill of Muhammad (pbuh). Long before his acceptance of Islam, Suhail bin Amr, an extremely talented and eloquent poet used to slander and verbally assault Muhammad (pbuh) with lines of poetry and prose. In the Battle of Badr, Suhail bin Amr was captured by the Muslims. Recalling his insults, Umar bin Khattab consulted the Prophet (pbuh) saying, “Allow me to pull out his front teeth so that he will never say anything against you after this day.” With full equanimity and mercy, Muhammad (pbuh) replied, “I will not make an example of anyone; even as a Prophet, Allah [might] make an example of me [in the same way].”

Whenever ‘Umar bin al-Khattab felt that he needed to stand up and defend the Messenger’s honor, time after time, he is told “No, Do not kill lest people say Muhammad kills his companions.” Such instances are plentiful in the Seerah. Moreover, the following lessons can be extrapolated from it:

1. The injunction against blasphemy is not a blanket law that can be enforced. With every incident, Umar’s seeking of permission proves that religious insensitivity, blasphemy, disrespect of the Prophet (pbuh) was based on a case by case format. This proves the importance of due process.

2. Also, ‘Umar’s questions show that he demonstrated a passion that was unquestionable. However, the desire to seek to revenge on behalf of Muhammad was more out of ‘Umar’s personality, a personality that was characterized as passionate and zealous. Yet, time after time, the Prophet (pbuh) would refrain ‘Umar from doing anything rash. Such proves that it is important to not do anything without permission.

3. In our times, people need to stop trying to rally Muslims by means of emotions while ignoring the important issues at hand. Conversely, Muhammad did not rally his people by means of emotional rants or slogan-theology. He rallied people to intellectual discourse and faithful obedience.

4. By preventing ‘Umar from exacting revenge, time after time, the message is slowly beginning to crystallize. Muhammad does not want to garner respect from his enemies through the systematic practice of purging dissenters, a classic trait of tyrants and dictator; rather, he wishes to garner their respect through means of peace, dialogue and most importantly, patience, as demonstrated in his commandment to ‘Umar to restrain and desist.

Assalaamu alyakom,
this is quite disturbing.
Since when did yasir qadhi and the like become scholars?

You know its the way of the munafiqeen to attack and humiliate Muslims when they make mistakes, and at the same time brown-nose the disbelievers.

How convenient for the Muslims in the west (living in the lap of luxury) to just open their mouth whenever they feel its convenient and criticize the Muslims living in the hardest conditions whenever they might make a mistake or be portrayed as doing something wrong.

Whats wrong with you people, have you no shame? have you no sense?
People living amongst the disbelievers, filling their stomachs every day, going to sleep in comfort every night without a care about what happens to their brothers and sisters on the other side of the world.
That should be enough to be ashamed of and keep your mouth shut.
Wallahi if there is anyone to criticise its yourselves and then the disbelievers!

This is what you get for taking your knowledge from people like yasir qadhi and the likes.
I wish i had a dollar every time I heard “my ten years in Medinah” …who in their right mind would listen to someone that brags about himself all the time, not to mention the other horrendous things he does.

Asstaghfirullah, wake up people!

“O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islām), Allāh will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allāh, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allāh which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allāh is All­Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All­Knower.” [Al-Ma’idah 5:54]